Morning arrived quietly, but nothing felt normal anymore.
Henry sat at the dining table, staring blankly at his plate. Neon was across from him, chewing toast like it was just another ordinary day. The sunlight streamed through the window, warm and peaceful—completely contradicting the chaos the city had faced just hours ago.
The silence broke suddenly.
Neon's phone rang.
Not just rang—blasted.
A loud song echoed through the room:
🎵 "End of Begging…" 🎵
Neon frowned and looked at his phone.
Henry lifted his head immediately. "Hey—who's calling?"
Neon didn't answer.
Slowly, his expression changed.
He turned the screen toward Henry.
Mom & Dad.
Henry froze.
His eyes widened in pure panic.
"—!"
He immediately spat out the water he had been drinking, spraying it straight onto Neon's phone.
Neon flinched. "What the—!"
Henry jumped up so fast the chair scraped loudly against the floor.
"Listen—listen—if they ask where I am," Henry said rapidly, grabbing his jacket, "tell them I went to buy groceries. Or… or milk. Anything. Just don't say I'm here."
Before Neon could even respond, Henry grabbed his bag, scooped Kate up into his arms—
"Sorry!" he yelled—
—and bolted out the door.
The door slammed shut.
Silence returned.
Neon stood there, completely stunned, holding a wet phone in his trembling hand.
The ringtone stopped.
The call was still coming in.
Neon swallowed hard and wiped the screen on his sleeve.
His fingers hovered over the phone.
Then—
"Hello?" he said, voice shaking.
Across the city, Twilight was staring at his phone.
The news had been looping nonstop since morning—casualties, theories, fear. His chest felt tight. One thought kept circling his mind.
Chris.
Without wasting a second, he dialed her number.
She answered.
"Hey," Chris said softly. "What's up?"
Twilight didn't bother with greetings.
"Are you okay?" he asked quickly. "Did anything happen to you? Are you hurt? Do you need help—please tell me."
There was a pause.
Chris stood in her kitchen, holding a spoon, Pie sitting nearby watching her cook like it was the most important thing in the world.
She smiled faintly.
"No," she replied. "I'm fine. I just… I just wanna rest today."
Before Twilight could say anything else—
She cut the call.
Twilight stared at his phone, uneasy.
Something about her voice felt distant.
Lily was still asleep.
She had slept through the morning, exhaustion finally catching up to her. The room was quiet, warm, peaceful.
Then—
Ding dong.
Her eyes snapped open.
She sat up immediately.
Who's here this early?
She pulled on a hoodie and walked toward the door, still half asleep. In her mind, she expected Chris—maybe coming over like usual.
She opened the door.
It wasn't Chris.
It was Henry.
Standing there.
Holding Kate in one arm and a bag in the other.
For a second, Lily didn't react.
Then Henry stepped forward and hugged her tightly.
So tightly that she stumbled back a little.
She hugged him back instinctively, confusion written all over her face.
"Henry?" she asked softly. "What's wrong?"
He didn't answer immediately.
He just held her, as if making sure she was real.
Alive.
Safe.
"I thought…" he muttered under his breath.
Lily pulled back slightly, still holding his arms. "You okay?"
She had no idea what had happened.
Henry nodded quickly. "Yeah. Yeah—I just… needed to see you."
Kate meowed quietly between them.
Lily laughed awkwardly. "You look like you ran a marathon."
Henry gave a weak smile. "Something like that."
She stepped aside. "Come in."
The city outside was drowning in noise.
Reporters stood on every street corner, microphones shoved into cameras.
"The masked man is not a hero—"
"The military denies any involvement—"
"Some say the sound was a weapon—"
"Others believe it was supernatural—"
Vloggers uploaded shaky footage with exaggerated thumbnails. Rumors spread faster than facts. Every version of the story contradicted the last.
No one knew the truth.
And no one realized—
Something far bigger was approaching.
Neon ended the call slowly.
His parents' voices still echoed in his ears.
He sat down heavily on the chair, staring at the table.
"So…" he muttered to himself. "That's how it is."
He looked toward the door Henry had escaped through.
A strange expression crossed his face.
Concern.
Curiosity.
And something darker.
Chris leaned against the counter, watching Pie wag his tail proudly as she placed food in his bowl.
"You're my only peace today," she whispered.
Pie barked softly.
Outside, sirens echoed in the distance.
Chris felt it again—
That familiar unease.
Like something unfinished was crawling back toward her life.
Twilight sat alone on his couch, Rony resting beside him.
He stared at the blank television screen.
Everyone's acting like it's normal…
But nothing was normal.
And deep down, he knew—
The worst part hadn't started yet.
Somewhere far beyond the city—
Beyond cameras, beyond soldiers—
Something shifted.
Something ancient.
Something waiting.
The city believed the danger had passed.
But the truth was far more terrifying.
This was only the beginning.